Zen Planner’s Life Hacks

Our team loves to share hacks and shortcuts to help our customers get the most out of our software. Outside of our software, we discovered we have some pretty decent life hacks that were worth sharing as well. Check out some of our team member’s favorite life hacks.

Quick Meals that Leave Lots of Leftovers

Erik Garnis, Customer Advocate
Crock-Pot a big meal over the weekend so you have food during the week and to freeze for when you need a quick meal.

How to Quickly De-Wrinkle a Shirt

Danielle Walker, Onboarding Coach
If your shirt is wrinkled and you don’t have time to iron, put it in the dryer with an ice cube. I did the dryer trick before but it worked so much better with the ice cube.

Getting the Perfect Curve on a Baseball Hat

Jim Thayer, Copywriter

Remove the sticker from the bill of your hat. It looks dumb and no one cares that it’s new

Grab your favorite can of soup

Bend the bill of the hat around the can of soup

Wrap a ton of rubber-bands around it

Leave the hat wrapped around the can overnight

Take the rubber bands off

Eat the soup

Wear your new hat with a perfect curve

Cleaning a Cast Iron Skillet

White Vinegar Cleaning Hacks

Erin Stone, Executive Assistant & Office ManagerShower and tub cleaner
Take one of those sponges with the fillable handles, and add a mixture of Dawn dish soap (the blue stuff) and distilled white vinegar. It’s the best hack for cleaning the shower and tub. You can quickly wipe down the walls and tub and just rinse it.Fruits and vegetables
Distilled white vinegar is the main ingredient in most expensive fruit & veggie washes. Fill a large bowl with water and add ¼ cup of vinegar and allow the fruits and veggies to soak up to 30 seconds and then rinse with water. It removes dirt, wax and sticker residue.

Carpet stains
For stubborn carpet stains, fill a little squirt bottle with a mixture of 1/3 vinegar, water and some lemon juice. Spray the deep stain until wet. Lay a damp washcloth over the area and rub an iron over the towel for up to one minute. Once it dries, the stain should be gone. Just don’t let the iron sit still on the towel. Keep moving it around. I removed a stain that had been set in an area rug for years.

The Answer to All of Life’s Questions

Kelsey Sprowell, Account Manager
Every pinot noir is good. A $6 bottle of pinot noir is better than most $30 bottles of anything else. Don’t know what to pair with dinner? Pinot noir. Don’t know what to bring to a friend’s party? Pinot noir. It’s the answer to all of life’s questions.

How to Stop Your Car at the Right Place in Your Garage Every Time

Liz Thompson, Onboarding Coach
Pull your car into your garage exactly where you want to park it every time. Hang a tennis ball from the ceiling by a rope so that it touches the center of your windshield. Every time you pull into your garage, just stop when the ball taps your windshield.

When Feeling Overwhelmed

Jeff Gardner, CEO
When feeling overwhelmed, take a gratitude moment. Sit down, grab a pen and your journal or paper, and start writing about all of the things that you are grateful for in your life. This is a great way to put things back in perspective. It is a great cure for insomnia.

Picking the Perfect Avocado

Kimberly Gant, QA Analyst
To pick the perfect avocado, peel back the small stem or cap at the top of the avocado. If it comes away easily and you find a beautiful green color underneath, you’ve got a good avocado that’s ripe and ready to eat.

How to Make Any Wine Taste Better

Mystery Submission
Put your favorite cheap wine in a blender for 30 seconds before drinking to aerate it very quickly. Because of all that aeration, it basically ages the wine five years. No need to buy any fancy wine aerators or decanters, or ever buy expensive wine again!

Calming an Overactive Dog

Matt Emge, Technical Product Manager
Our dog is very high-energy and becomes a problem when we have guests over. Rather than locking him in the kennel, we learned to manage his energy by putting a doggie backpack on him (like this one). With the backpack he becomes calm and quiet. We can even take it off after about 30 minutes and he stays calm.

Perk Up Without Caffeine

Matt Emge, Technical Product Manager
A caffeine substitute I sometimes use is the amino acid, L-Tyrosine. Taken on an empty stomach, it improves alertness and concentration.

Getting Better Sleep

Matt Emge, Technical Product Manager
I am always trying new remedies for insomnia. My naturopath recommended the wet sock treatment for sleep, wellness and upper respiratory issues. It seems to help every time. Right before going to bed, soak feet in hot water for 10 minutes. Soak cotton soaks in cold water, wring them out and put them on. I then put on a pair of dry wool socks, and go to bed.

Meditation for Beginners

Matt Emge, Technical Product Manager
Want to calm your overactive mind? Learn how to relax and focus? Become more present? Try Andy Puddicombe’s Headspace app and learn the practice of mindfulness meditation. For a couple months, I used the free trial for 20 minutes a day, and I liked it so much I continue to practice without the app.

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Lauren Holland, Customer Success Team

Zen Planner

Lauren is a sales and service professional who’s been with the Zen Planner team almost a year. She loves attending her local CrossFit® box, as you can tell. She also enjoys being outside hiking and spending time by the water.